{"id":668,"date":"2010-04-14T10:00:11","date_gmt":"2010-04-14T10:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=668"},"modified":"2014-07-16T19:59:36","modified_gmt":"2014-07-16T19:59:36","slug":"real-poetry-for-real-russians-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/real-poetry-for-real-russians-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Real Poetry for Real Russians – Part II"},"content":{"rendered":"

Remember the Real Poetry for Real Russians post<\/a>? At the end of it I promised to tell you whether having to memorize, as children, lots and lots of poems helps Russians in practical daily life.<\/p>\n

I was all fired up to write the Part II of this post when something quite unexpected happened \u2013 I bought a March\/April issue of Russian Life magazine<\/a>. \u00a0Ok, so nothing unexpected here; I do buy this magazine often enough that I really ought to subscribe to it. The unexpected part was that on page 27, there was an article titled A Country of Poets,<\/em> by Mikhail Ivanov.<\/p>\n

Loaded with excellent examples, the article\u2019s main point is that<\/p>\n

\u201cRussians love rhymes, especially ones that demonstrate a knowledge of cultural touchstones.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Remember the three little phrases I suggested you to memorize? Now I can go back and refer to them as cultural touchstones.<\/p>\n

The article then goes on to explain that \u201c[Russians] garnish day-to-day speech with what we call <\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u0438\u0441\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u044c\u044f or <\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u0438\u0431\u0430\u0443<\/span>\u0442\u043a\u0438 \u2013 facetiously rhymed catch-phrases and expressions that spice up the language.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, since Russian Life<\/em> took care of my plans for Part II<\/span> of the Real Poetry mini-series<\/strong>, then it\u2019s time for Part III \u2013 \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0441\u0442\u0438\u0445\u0438<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [celebratory or special occasions poetry].<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s sum up what we already know :<\/p>\n

1. Russians are exposed to A WHOLE LOT of poetry \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441 <\/strong>\u043c\u043b\u0430\u0434\u044b<\/span>\u0445 <\/strong>\u043d\u043e\u0433\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [from the youngest age; lit. from tender fingernails].<\/p>\n

2. Russians love to sprinkle their everyday conversations with \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u0438\u0431\u0430\u0443<\/span>\u0442\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [rhyming catch-phrases], \u00ab<\/strong>\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u0444\u043c\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [rhymes] and famous poetic one-liners.<\/p>\n

3. Russians are fond of celebrating special occasions of all sorts, but especially birthdays, anniversaries and various other \u00ab<\/strong>\u044e\u0431\u0438\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [jubilees], whether personal, organizational or those of the State.<\/p>\n

So it shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise that celebratory poetry takes a special place in Russian hearts. Actually, it takes on some epic proportions. A few days before major holidays, Russian social network \u00ab<\/strong>\u041e\u0434\u043d\u043e\u043a\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [Classmates] gets clogged up with holiday best wishes in verse.<\/p>\n

From something as simple as<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0421 \u043f\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0437\u0434\u043d\u0438\u043a\u043e\u043c \u043f\u043e\u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0435\u043c, \u0437\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u044c\u044f \u0438 \u0441\u0447\u0430<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u044c\u044f \u0436\u0435\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0435\u043c!\u00bb<\/strong> [On this occasion we are congratulating; much health and happiness are a-waiting!]<\/p>\n

to mid-range congrats, such as this Maslenitsa-themed one (notice pancakes, reference to Maslenitsa doll, and saying goodbye to winter)<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0416\u0435\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u044e \u0412\u0430\u043c \u0437\u0430 \u0441\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043b \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0441\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u044c, \u0431\u043b\u0438\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0432 \u0441 \u0438\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u043e\u0447\u043a\u043e\u0439 \u043f\u043e\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u044c, \u0441\u0436\u0435\u0447\u044c \u0431\u0430<\/span>\u0431\u0443, \u0437\u0438<\/span>\u043c\u0443 \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c, \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0448\u0443<\/span> \u043c\u0435\u043d\u044f<\/span> \u0437\u0430 \u0432\u0441\u0451 \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c!\u00bb<\/strong> [Wishing you to sit at your table, eat some pancakes with caviar, burn Maslenitsa effigy, see winter off, and forgive me for everything! ]<\/p>\n

To heavy-hitters such as this birthday wish:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Russian <\/strong><\/td>\nEnglish<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0423 \u0442\u0435\u0431\u044f<\/span> \u0441\u0435\u0433\u043e<\/span>\u0434\u043d\u044f \u0434\u0435\u043d\u044c \u0440\u043e\u0436\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u044f
\n\u0416\u0435\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0435\u043c \u0441\u0447\u0430<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u044c\u044f \u0438 \u0434\u043e\u0431\u0440\u0430<\/span>
\n\u0418 \u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u044e<\/span>\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438 \u0446\u0432\u0435\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u044f
\n\u0423\u043b\u044b<\/span>\u0431\u043e\u043a, \u0441\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u043d\u0446\u0430 \u0438 \u0442\u0435\u043f\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u2026<\/td>\n		Today is your birthday
\nWe are wishing you happiness and goodness
\nThe never-ending bloom of youth
\nSmile, sun and warmth\u2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

(if you want to read the rest of this wish \u2013 13 more lines \u2013 check it out here<\/a> along with many other poetic birthday wishes)<\/p>\n

If such an all-encompassing list of birthday wishes seems a bit too much, here\u2019s something short and to the point<\/a> (for men, by a man):<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Russian <\/strong><\/td>\nEnglish<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0417\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u044c\u044f \u043c\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u043e, \u043d\u0435 \u0431\u043e\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u044c!
\n\u041d\u0430 \u044e<\/span>\u0433\u0435 \u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u043e\u043c \u0437\u0430\u0433\u043e\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u044c!
\n\u0417\u0430\u0440\u043f\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0443 \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0443\u0447\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u043f\u043e\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u0448\u0435!
\n\u041a\u0430\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u0441\u0435\u043c\u044c\u044e<\/span> \u043d\u0430 \u043a\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0441\u043d\u043e\u043c \u043f\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u0448\u0435!<\/td>\n		Be in good health, don\u2019t get sick!
\nGet sun tan at the beach and quick!
\nHuge raise in your salary!
\nAnd a red Porsche for the family!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Of course, this is no high poetry, no A. Pushkin or A. Blok. Not even S. Marshak or A. Barto, those of cheesy children\u2019s rhymes. Most Russians I know cringe when they are on the receiving end of this poetry or try to laugh it off. And yet\u2026 when special occasion looms ahead, we rise up to the challenge and pen our own celebratory \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0430\u043d\u0435\u0433\u0438<\/span>\u0440\u0438\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [panegyric<\/a>s ], with all the requisite flourishes of the genre.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a \u0440\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u043d\u0430\u0440\u043e\u0434\u043d\u044b\u0439 [Russian people\u2019s] Hallmark. The idea is to not take it too seriously. After all, these are celebratory poems, read in a company of friends and at a table heavily-laden with \u00ab<\/strong>\u0437\u0430\u043a\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [appetizers] and \u00ab<\/strong>\u0432\u044b<\/span>\u043f\u0438\u0432\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [alcohol]. As a good Russian \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0433\u043e\u0432\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [saying] goes, \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0432\u043d\u043e\u0435 <\/strong>\u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0434\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u043e\u043a, <\/strong>\u0430 <\/strong>\u0432\u043d\u0438\u043c\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [it\u2019s the thought that counts; lit: it\u2019s not the gift that\u2019s important, but the attention]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"soviet

Remember the Real Poetry for Real Russians post? At the end of it I promised to tell you whether having to memorize, as children, lots and lots of poems helps Russians in practical daily life. I was all fired up to write the Part II of this post when something quite unexpected happened \u2013 I…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":673,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,8],"tags":[1027,1263],"class_list":["post-668","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-language","tag-celebrating-the-russian-way","tag-russian-poetry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6151,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668\/revisions\/6151"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}